Teach Engineering
Coordinates and the Cartesian Plane
The plot thickens to get a functional understanding. After a short review of plotting points on the coordinate plane, class members learn the difference between functions and relations in the second lesson in a series of nine. They show...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Exponential Equations
The power to solve exponential equations lies in the resource. Scholars first learn how to solve exponential equations. An activity matching cards with equations, intermediate steps, and solutions strengthens this skill.
Balanced Assessment
Lotto
You can't win if you don't play! Find out how to increase your chances of winning the lottery. Scholars analyze a state lottery system for the probability of winning. They also consider different combinations of numbers and how they...
Balanced Assessment
Legos
How many ways can you arrange two six-hole Legos? Scholars practice their understanding of combinations as they investigate this question. As they create a plan, they develop a specific definition of a combination.
Balanced Assessment
Sloppy Student I
"Does this work every time?" We've all heard it. Now learners get to explore methods to answer that question themselves. Pupils analyze a mistake that has been made with creating a formula for multiplying binomials. They then create...
Balanced Assessment
Sales Tax Table
Sales tax rates vary; do the math to find the right rate! Pupils use before tax amounts and after tax amounts to determine the tax rate. Rounding makes the task challenging.
Teach Engineering
Applications of Linear Functions
It's not so straightforward — lines can model a variety of applications. Pupils experience linear relationships within the context of science, including Hooke's and Ohm's Laws. Class members got a taste of motion and speed from the...
Teach Engineering
Graphing Equations on the Cartesian Plane: Slope
Slopes are not just for skiing. Instructors introduce class members to the concept of slope and teach them how to calculate the slope from a graph or from points. The lesson also includes the discussion of slopes of parallel and...
Teach Engineering
The Challenge Question
A research position becomes a modeling job. The introductory lesson in a series of nine presents the challenge of analyzing a set of bivariate data. The class brainstorms what the data may represent. Pupils must decide what is needed to...
Balanced Assessment
Fermi Number
A fermi number is a rough estimate of a quantity that is difficult or impossible to measure. Individuals design a process for making an estimation of a given scenario. For example, they determine a plan for estimating the number of...
Balanced Assessment
Monitor Pricing
Out with the old and in with the new. Learners use a set of prices of computer monitors from 1994 to make a prediction. They then use one current price and what they know about the old prices to make a more recent prediction. Their...
Balanced Assessment
Number Trick
Show your classes the magic of numbers. Using a number trick, learners practice writing algebraic expressions. They then use their expression to perform the trick. Their exploration should help them understand the magic behind the trick.
Balanced Assessment
Marbles in a Glass
Allow learners to design their own strategies to solve a problem. Given dimensions of a glass and a smaller marble, scholars must find the dimensions of a larger marble. The answer key suggests using the Pythagorean Theorem, but multiple...
Balanced Assessment
Star from Square
Quilting is not only beautiful and unique—it is a mathematical art. Show your classes how to design a quilting block while practicing area and circumference of circles. Scholars create a star from a square and then find the circumference...
Balanced Assessment
Frosting on the Cake
Party planners need algebra too! Here, pupils decide the perfect size of a cake based on available ingredients. They use the concepts of area and perimeter to make their conclusions.
Balanced Assessment
Modern Building
Turn your pupils into emerging architects with a resource that asks learners to analyze a scale drawing of a building. They use the scale drawing to interpret the size of the actual building before recreating the drawing using a...
Curated OER
Hot Under The Collar
Pupils try to get a collar on temperature with a short assessment item that asks them to compare two different methods in converting Celsius to Fahrenheit. Individuals try to find out when an estimation provides conversions that are too...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Work Problems – Bar Models
Why do we have to do so much work? Scholars learn how to set up bar models to represent a situation involving work. They use these bar models to help set up equations with rational coefficients to solve the problem situation.
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Rational Equations
Scholars first learn to solve two-step equations with fractional coefficients and constants by traditional methods and by clearing the denominator. They continue by learning another approach to solve two-step equations that have decimal...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Equations Using Balance Scale, Decomposition, and Graphing
There's more than one way to solve an equation — three, actually. Scholars learn how to solve simple linear equations in one variable using three different methods, which include using balance scales, using decomposition (e.g., turning...
Chicago Teachers Union Quest Center
Factored Form of a Quadratic Function
Build upon linear functions to learn about quadratics. The lesson introduces the concept of zeros for quadratic functions and makes the connection to the linear factors of the function. It presents quadratics in both graphical and...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Three Forms of an Equation of a Line
An equation is an equation is an equation. Scholars see there are many ways to solve them when they first sort a set of linear equations as written in standard form, point-slope form, or slope-intercept. They then write equations in all...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Systems of Inequalities
Don't throw away those transparency sheets just yet! Young scholars first review inequalities on a number line, then learn about graphing inequalities in the coordinate plane. Finally, they use overhead transparencies to create systems...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Solving Equations with Variables on Both Sides
So many different ways to solve equations, so little time! Scholars learn how to solve equations with variables on both sides by using several different methods. They apply bar models, decomposition, and traditional algebraic methods to...